Evaluation of the WHO Ethics Review Committee: Report

Overview

This independent evaluation examines the performance, relevance and functioning of the WHO Ethics Review Committee (ERC) and its Secretariat during the period 2018–2023, including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report assesses how the ERC fulfils its mandate to ensure ethical oversight of WHO-supported research involving human participants and examines its alignment with international ethical standards, organizational needs and evolving research contexts. Using a mixed-methods approach based on OECD/DAC evaluation criteria, the evaluation analyses the ERC’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and coherence with other ethics review mechanisms at regional and national levels.

The evaluation finds that the ERC plays a critical role in protecting research participants and safeguarding the integrity and reputation of WHO. It highlights strengths in ethical oversight, emergency response mechanisms and adherence to international standards, while also identifying challenges related to timeliness, resource limitations, coordination, monitoring and organizational awareness of research ethics. The report provides recommendations to strengthen institutional support, clarify roles and responsibilities, improve processes and systems, enhance training and communication, and reinforce WHO’s overall culture of ethical research governance.